The Death Star has been destroyed. The Rebel Alliance are on the run after being driven them from their base on Yavin IV by the Empire. We begin mere weeks after the ending of A New Hope and the Battle of Yavin.

Opening on a trio of X-wings in flight, this issue feels like classic Star Wars from the first panel. Wedge, Luke and Leia are scouting for a new home for the Rebel Alliance. Leia quickly proves she is capable of holding her own in the cockpit of an X-wing.

It’s refreshing to see the young, unsure farm boy side of Luke Skywalker. We’ve had Jedi Master Luke for so long that it’s easy to forget the young man he once was. Luke has always had a voice of self-doubt about himself but I enjoyed seeing him struggling with the few Jedi lessons that Obi-wan was able to pass on to him in their brief time together.

The scouting mission falls apart once a Star Destroyer shows up and starts throwing TIE Fighters at our heroes. One thing quickly becomes clear to all of the Rebels that this was a trap. The Empire knew exactly where they were. The opening battle is one that any fan of Rogue Squadron will love.

As if all this was not enough for a great Star Wars story we also have Han and Chewie leaving the Rebel fleet for their own adventure, and the Emperor has a plan for Darth Vader to discover the Rebel’s hidden fleet. The issue closes with Mon Mothma and Leia’s secret plans to discover the spy in their midst and to find the Alliance a new home.

Brian Wood has written a fun and exciting story capturing the Original Trilogy feel. Carlos D’Anda’s art is equally so, but some of his characters feel just slightly off, especially Darth Vader. Not that the characters look wrong, just more stylistic than I am used to.

Has there been a more anticipated Star Wars comic than this one? While you don’t need to know anything about Star Wars other than the events of A New Hope, there are nods to the rest of the EU. This new series is all about taking the stories back to 1977 and the characters that we met in the first film. This book is classic Star Wars action, fun and heart.

4.5/5 Kath Hounds

Advanced Review Copy (ARC) courtesy of Dark Horse. All staff members can be contacted atstaff@eucantina.net.

About the Author

Paul joined the EUCantina staff in 2012, combining his love of Star Wars and his obsession with comic books. He has been a Star Wars fan since the early 80's and is always finding a way to tie Star Wars into every facet of his life.
Paul lives in Virginia. He loves movies, plays guitar and is TK-5990, a proud member of the 501st Legion.